The Perspective in the Distance
by NatesMama
Summary: Brennan has lunch with an old acquaintance and receives some surprising revelations.


_**A/N: Okay, so…this originally started as a chapter in my 50 Words in 50 Days Bonesology challenge fic. But once I started, I kind of couldn't stop and now this is much too long to even pretend to be a drabble, so with the input of my friend and beta, Cindee, I decided to just post this as a stand-alone one shot. **_

_**I know many of you dislike the subject of Hannah, so if this is going to irritate you, you'd better pass on it because there is zero Hannah-bashing involved. Basically, this is my perspective on that whole situation, and the chance for everyone involved to state their case. **_

_**Enjoy! Or hate it, that's cool, too. **_

_**~NM**_

* * *

The Perspective in the Distance

Brennan squirmed in her chair as she waited in the corner of the large café for her lunch companion. Her discomfort was brought on not only by the fact that this little tete a tete was happening behind her husband's back, but also by her worry that when she told him about it later that night, he would be hurt or even angry that she had essentially lied to him. He'd called earlier to see if she'd wanted to go to the diner with him, causing her to imply that she had paperwork to finish before she could go anywhere. Booth had ended up resigning himself to eating with Aubrey, telling his wife that he was hopeful that the younger agent had eaten breakfast so Booth would not be subjected to one of Aubrey's legendary mid-day glutton-fests.

Her guilty thoughts were still plaguing her when Brennan's eye caught her lunch date entering the restaurant. She waved the other woman over, and slid slightly further into the booth as Hannah settled in next to her. The two women regarded each other evenly for a moment before Brennan leaned forward to embrace her former rival.

"It's good to see you, Hannah. You look well." She ignored the surprise on Hannah's face as she moved back in her seat. "How have you been? Are you dating anyone?"

Hannah's surprise quickly turned into a grin as she realized how much she had missed Brennan's straight-forward way of speaking. "Thank you, Temperance. You look lovely." She cast her glance on the obvious swelling of Brennan's abdomen. "Pregnancy clearly suits you. How far along are you?"

Realizing that Hannah had sidestepped her last question and wondering why, Brennan faked obliviousness and answered the other woman's queries about the new baby while they both perused the menu. "I am almost six months into my pregnancy. I've been sicker than I was with Christine, which Booth says means that it's a boy, but since the baby was uncooperative at the last ultrasound, we are still unsure of the gender."

Hannah smiled gently. "Well, if you and Seeley are hoping for a boy, then that's what I want for you."

"Thank you, although I would be just as happy with another daughter, I know Booth is secretly wanting another son." Brennan's expression changed slightly from amused adoration to focused and curious in an instant. "And I noticed that you didn't answer me when I asked if you were seeing anyone. Can I infer that you are, indeed, in a serious relationship?"

Shaking her head and wondering why anyone could have called the woman in front of her oblivious, Hannah relented. "Yes, I am. In fact…"

"You're engaged." Brennan gestured to Hannah's left hand, a hand she had been trying to conceal until she revealed her reason for asking Brennan to lunch.

A blush gracing her cheeks, Hannah nodded. "Yes. I…Meiri and I met while I was assigned in Cairo. One thing led to another, and…"

"He changed your views on relationships, commitment and love."

"Yes. It was…"

"A surprise."

"Yes."

Both women laughed at the exchange before their attention was diverted by the waiter appearing to take their orders and bring them water. When he walked away, Hannah ducked her head to stare at her lap, uncharacteristically nervous.

"Temperance, the reason I wanted to speak with you was, well, I didn't think Seeley would take my call and I needed him to know some things. I don't want to see him hurt any more than I've already done and…" She stumbled over her words, huffing in frustration. Looking into the other woman's eyes, begging her to understand, she continued. "I just…it wasn't him, you know? It's so clichéd, but it really wasn't him, it was me. I wasn't ready, or in a place where I could see that kind of commitment in my future. And I tried to tell him, and I know he tried to accept that, but…you understand that I was only trying to protect him?"

Ignoring the knot that had formed in her belly, Brennan nodded slowly. "More than you realize."

Hannah looked Brennan in the eye and returned her nod. "He didn't tell me specifics, and I know he was incredibly vague when he explained what happened between the two of you before he left for Afghanistan, but I got the impression that his feelings for you were more intense than he let on. He didn't lie, exactly, but I think he toned it down for my benefit."

"I'm not sure what he told you, and I am uncomfortable guessing, but without going into specifics, we both, you and I, made…mistakes…where Booth is concerned. We both hurt him in very similar ways." Brennan's pained expression told Hannah everything she needed to know without allowing the woman next to her to break a confidence. "I believe he was in a very bad place, emotionally, when he left DC and you helped him heal. That, I know, is a fact." She took Hannah's hand and squeezed. "Thank you for that."

Returning the gesture, Hannah sighed. "You did the same thing for him when I turned him down. I wasn't here, but I know that to be true."

Brennan smiled slightly. "He was very lucky to have us."

* * *

Brennan shuts the front door of their home carefully, listening for the sounds of her family as she sheds her coat and drops her bag by the entryway. It's too late to tuck Christine into bed, but she had called earlier and wished her goodnight when she took a break from examining the remains from their latest case so her guilt and regret is only a slight pang rather than a sharp ache.

As she moves to the living room, she finds Booth sitting on the sofa with his sock-less feet propped on the coffee table and a glass of what she assumes is scotch in his hand. He smiles at her as she settles down next to him and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Glad to be home?"

"More than I can express." She sighs and curls further into his side, his arms sliding around her and over her bringing her a calm she didn't know she had been looking for all day.

"How was your lunch with Hannah?"

Her sharp intake of breath is involuntary, but her head turning to look him in the eye is not. "I was planning on telling you."

"I know." His calm acceptance eases her anxiety slightly. "Charlie went to the same place for lunch and saw the two of you."

With a nod, she lays her head back to his broad shoulder and tells him everything. He smiles when she explains why Hannah wanted Brennan to know about the engagement, and grins when she tells him that she didn't tell the other woman every detail, knowing that she hoards their privacy as fiercely as he does.

When Brennan is done, Booth pulls her a little closer to kiss the top of her head, then releases her to stand and head for the kitchen. When he returns with a glass of water for her, she sits up straighter and finishes her story with one more revelation.

"She's also pregnant."

Booth's eyebrows climb in surprise, but then he chuckles and shakes his head as he settles back next to his confused wife.

"Why is that amusing? I thought that you would be more surprised. Or at least a little angry?" The worry in her voice isn't a surprise to him, even as he knows that she is completely confident of her place in his life.

"Bones, I…" He hesitates for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Look, we've talked about Hannah so you know that I regret forcing her hand, but deep down I always knew that she had it in her to marry someday and have kids. I also knew that it wouldn't be with me, and now that I say that out loud, maybe I should get in contact with her and apologize for how all that went down, but…what I don't and never will regret is that she said no. I'm grateful to her for seeing what I refused to see. And I'm nothing but happy for her, that she's finally found the person that was worth changing for. I'm also glad that person wasn't me."

"Booth…"

"No, Bones." He turns to face her and with a quick kiss, he continues. "I'm serious. Hannah was smart enough and self-aware enough to see that she and I were not going to go much further. I'm not saying that she was completely without blame…she knew I was the kind of guy who wanted to get married and she let it go on longer than she should have, but that's my fault, too. We weren't meant to be more than we were, and while I'm sorry that we hurt each other, I'm grateful for her, too."

"She left a mark on you." Brennan smiles with the memory of a long-ago conversation between them.

Booth returns her smile and captures her lips with his again. "Yeah. She's a good person and she meant something to me, but in the end she was only a stepping stone to what _we_ are and what _we_ have. I'm not trying to belittle her or make her seem less than she was, because distance gives perspective and it's much easier to see now, almost five years later, that Hannah was necessary for us to get here." He stands and reaches a hand out to her, pulling her into his arms and steering them towards their bedroom.

"And here, with you and only you, is the only place I've ever wanted to be."


End file.
